


I am a Savior (But I could not save you)

by BobTheTrex



Category: Guild Wars 2 (Video Game), Guild Wars Series (Video Games)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Durmand Priory (Guild Wars), Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Sad, Sylvari (Guild Wars)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:35:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29768718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BobTheTrex/pseuds/BobTheTrex
Summary: Commander Rue goes to the Durmand Priory to mourn.
Relationships: Magister Sieran & Player Character (Guild Wars)
Kudos: 4





	I am a Savior (But I could not save you)

Commander Rue walked through the silent halls of the Durmand Priory, the cold wind pricked and wilted her leafy skin that had become a rather unflattering shade of yellowish-green on the long cold journey to this place. The clap of her metal boots on the hard ground echoed across the long lore-filled hallway, making everything feel even emptier.

Everyone was gone; the death of Zhaitan had filled the world with hope and joy so that even the most dedicated scholar felt the need to go out and celebrate among the masses. The world was in celebration. The impossible had been achieved with the death of the Undead Dragon; the world was renewed with hope, but Rue was not. She felt empty; she had won the war, but she had lost so many battles.

She entered the chamber at the back of the uppermost level of the Priory. The massive tablets of ancient lore floated in the warm light of the golden column; it was beautiful, but it was not her focus. The echoing of her boots was louder in this chamber, much vaster than the hallway had been. It felt as empty as she did with its echoes, haunted like her dream had become.

What had her dream been, she remembered the Green Knight and the great dragon, but she also remembered a woman, cheery and bright; Rue could live in the dark forever if this woman was by her side, for her light was brighter than the sun. Emptiness clawed at her, and tears prickled her eyes, feeling the vast voice inside herself. She was gone.

She walked downstairs, mindful of the slippery, cold steps, not letting her tormented mind make her lose focus of the world around her. She made her way into the most accessible section of the Priory’s library, the hollowness still eating at her. She wiped her tears away with her sleeve; she would not harm the texts in these halls, no matter her state of mind. She went to the fireplace and entered the secret levels of the Priory; the warm fire felt strangely cold as she exited it alone; having always done with beside her in the past.

Commander Rue softly made her way into the massive library and sat down on the couch she normally sat on; it felt empty by herself, but no one was there to fill the seat next to her. Tears prickled her eyes, and for the first time in so, so long, she let them fall.

It hurt so much, Sieran was gone, and she was alone. Battle after battle had kept her mind too busy to let herself properly mourn; she had not even cried since Claw Island; it was all coming out now. Her chest ached as she cried; she hacked on her lungs and rocked back and forth on the couch.

Why? Why did this world hate her so much! She had only ever wanted to find happiness. Was that too much to ask for? Her chest ached, and her nose burned, but she could not stop the hot tears from pouring down her face, the salty liquid eating at her leafy skin.

She fell onto her side, taking up the entire couch, taking Sieran’s spot; as tears continued to fall from her face, the bitter liquid slipped into her mouth, and she gasped for breath. Her vision was fuzzy from all the tears, but they refused to stop. She hacked on her own spit, snot blocking her lungs.

Was happiness too much to ask for? Was her Dream forever forced to be empty, with the woman of sunshine now gone? She didn’t even have a grave! They couldn’t turn her body into one of their abominations, but they still took it, not leaving Rue anything to bury! She was just another empty tomb, alongside a legion of other tombs.

Snot covered Rue’s tear-stricken face, her breath was shallow, and she couldn’t see. Her chest rumbled. Why did it hurt so bad?

“Why does it hurt so much?” Rue cried out, the sound deafening in the library that was silent except for her grief.

She got no answer; she never did. Grief struck her, and she crumbled into herself even further; she was alone, she was alone, and Sieran was not ever going to come back and make it, so she wasn’t alone again. Rue screamed, the sound broken and gut-twisting; she had nothing and no one.

“Valiant?” A soft voice called; Rue barely heard it, her ears having popped from all her crying.

A gentle hand sat on her shoulder, stirring her from her misery; looking up with teary blurry eyes, she saw Caithe’s face, pale green and so beautiful in all its maturity. Her eyes were soft as she looked down on Rue. Rue was embarrassed. She was the Commander. She was supposed to protect everyone, and she was supposed to lead everyone, not cry, broken and alone.

She tried to get up, but Caithe’s hold on her shoulder turned firm, keeping her in place on the couch. Twisting around the arm of the couch, Caithe stood in front of Rue. Carefully Caithe lifted Rue’s head from the couch before sitting down beside her, gently setting Rue’s head onto her lap. Caithe gently stroked Rue’s leafy hair. Her nails were so nice against her scalp; it allowed Rue to fill her lungs with air again with their calming effect.

They sat like that for so long; Rue did not know if she fell asleep, but the gentle petting of her scalp made her teary eyes bleary and her exhausted form relaxed; making her flicker in and out of awareness. She only knew that much later, her breathing had settled, and her tears had been spent.

“Valiant.” Caithe stated softly once more as she continued to run her fingers across Rue’s scalp, the action so tender and soft; it hurt to feel this way, knowing that Sieran was gone.

“I couldn’t save her.” Her voice cracked as she said it. Upon saying it all, the pain was renewed, but she did not have tears to spend.

“Sieran?” Caithe asked softly; Rue could only shake her head in confirmation, the words trapped in the back of her throat.

“She sacrificed herself so that we could win and so that you could live. And we did win, and you survived. Her death was not in vain Valiant.” Caithe reassured, but it did nothing to ease the pain in Rue’s chest.

“Tell me about her.” Caithe asked softly as she reached down to wipe away the dried tears from Rue’s face. The action was so gentle and so very special; it was motherly, but it was not like Sieran; Caithe could never fill that hole.

“She was the nicest sylvari I ever met; she was the bravest. We would go on adventures all the time, and we would always get in trouble.” Rue laughed quietly to the memory of Gixx so crossed with the both of them when they returned home from one of their adventures. But something twisted in her gut, knowing she could never relive it.

“What I enjoyed the most with her, though, was coming to this library and read together. We would sit for hours on end, it was quiet, and it was nice.” Rue rubbed her arm across her face, removing the stray tears that had escaped her as she lost herself in memory.

“It sounds lovely, Valiant.” Caithe stated softly, never stopping her petting. The soothing motion of being petted was relaxing, and she was so tired, not just from today but from so many days. When was the last time she had slept? It must have been a few weeks at best since she last slept.

Slowly her eyes began lowering. Caithe never stopped with her mistreatment of Rue’s leafy hair. She did not mind though, Caithe’s fingers were so nice she could live like this forever.

Slowly consciousness began to slip away from her, and soon enough, the world turned dark, and her mind became blissfully empty. The Dream did not come to haunt her, nor did the nightmare of reality; it was just a night, like any other. And though she was not healed, she was not alone.

**Author's Note:**

> We are never given a moment for all the amazing people who were lost in the game. So I made a moment for all of us to mourn the loss of an amazing character, and an amazing friend.


End file.
